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Winning Powerball Ticket Sold in W.Va.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) -- For the second time in just over three months, a winning Powerball ticket was purchased in West Virginia.

One winning ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball in Wednesday night’s drawing and won the $62.4 million jackpot, lottery officials said early Thursday morning.

The winning ticket was sold at the Blue Flash Food Mart 5 in Bluefield, W.Va., officials said. Wednesday’s winning numbers were 10, 28, 31, 40 and 52. The Powerball was 41 and the Power Play was 5.

The winning ticketholder has 180 days to claim his prize and choose to be paid in installments or to accept a $33.6 million lump sum, lottery officials said.

Andrew "Jack" Whittaker of Scott Depot won the largest undivided jackpot in lottery history, a $314.9 million prize on Christmas Day.

Whittaker, who purchased his ticket at a convenience store in Hurricane, accepted a lower lump sum payment of $170 million and spent about $10 million of it to start a foundation bearing his name. The foundation helps charities operated by the Church of God and educates West Virginians.

Eight winning tickets in the Multi-State Lottery, and four winning Powerball tickets, have been sold in West Virginia, officials said.

Powerball, the nation’s largest lottery game, is played in 23 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.